Island



NITE STATES rion- CHARLES E. MUNROE, OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.

EXPLOSIVE POWDER AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 489,684, dated January 10, 1893.

Application filed August 14. 1891. Serial No.4.0Z,64=5. (No specimens) To all whom it may conceive:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. MUNROE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the Naval Torpedo Station, at Newport, In the 5 State of Rhode Island, have invented a cer-' tain new and useful Improvement in Explosive Powder and the Manufacture Thereof, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a to powder for use as a propellant in fire-arms,

which shall be capable of giving a high velocity to the projectile without the production of a dangerous pressure in thebarrel of the gun,

and without the production ofsmokc to any 15 serious extent, and which is incapable of being exploded with detonation. To accomplish this I make use of gun cotton, and, preferably, I first purify the same by the method set forth in my application of even date herewith,

:0 namely, exposure tothe action of a solvent such as methyl alcohol which acts upon the lower cellulose nitrates (that is to say, those which are capable of being dissolved by such a solvent) and othc r soluble products of nitra- 25 tion, but not upon the higher nitrates (that is, such as are not materially aifected by a solvent of this character) to any material extent, and which by percolation through the gun-cotton removes the soluble portions. I

0 thus obtain a uniform material instead of one containing a variable and uncertain quantity of the lower nitrates, and therefore having an uncertain value as an explosive, as has been the ease with the gun cotton heretofore em- 5 ployed for military purposes. I mix this material with nitro-benzene, the same being incorporated thoroughly with the gun cotton in a mill or between rolls, so'that the gun cotton is acted upon throughout by the nitro-ben- 4o zene and by which, preferably, it is shaped into sheets. The material, which is now of a plastic, coherent and homogeneous character, is then preferably cut, molded, rolled or otherwiseformed into strips, grains, wires or other 5 forms, the size and form given to the material being varied according to the use to which it is to be put. This process by which the dry gun cotton is converted into a plastic homogeneous, coherent and non explosive sub- 50 stance which retains its coherency and plasticity even while it is exposed to the air, and

which is capable of being iudurated or converted into a hard, horny product by the pro cess hereinafter described I term colloidizing." I'belicvc nitro-benzeue-to he the most suitable colloidizing agent, but my invention is not confined to the use of such material, for I consider the use of any agent by which the gun cotton may be converted into a material of suliicient plasticity to enable the thor ough incorporation of the colloidizing agentv to be effected, and which retains its plasticity and coherency while exposed to the air and which is capable of induration as hereinafter desm'ibed to be within the scope of my in vention. tenths to about one and eight-tenths parts of nitro-benzene to one part of gun-cotton. I may mix with the material suitable oxidizing salts to perfect combustion; the kind and quantity of such oxidizing salts being varied according to the use to which the product is to be put as will be understood.

I now indurate the material by the action of heated liquids or the vapors thereof. 'i prefer to employ water or steam or both. I have discovered that nitrated cellulose at". being colloidized in the manner describe me, if treated by hot liquid or vapor, bcc

indurated and is converted into a matte-lat witl creating a'dangerous pressure in the barrel, and also without the presence of smoke to any material extent.

Any suitable method and apparatus for ap- I prefer to use from about nine plying the heated liquid or vapor may be em pl'oyed. For-instance, the material may be placed in a vessel through which the liquid is caused to circulate, and through which also the heated steam or vapor is caused to pass. The time of exposure to the liquid depends upon the degree of subdivision of the material. For instance, the small grains best adapted to use with small arms require an ex" posure of about twelve hours with water at the boiling point, to complete the process. \Vith larger pieces the time required is proportionately longer.

The heated liquid or vapor used to indurate the material is used at a lower temperature than the boiling point of the colloidizing agent, under the same conditions as to temperature, pressure, and other matters which affect boiling points.

It is not essential that the plastic colloidized material shall. be immediately exposed to the indurating process, since the plastic ma terial may be conveniently stored and transported, it being non-explosive, and the ind urating step may be performed subsequently or as the material is required for use.

What I claim is,

1. The method of making explosive material which consists in mixing and incorporating with gun cotton a liquid colloidizing agent which is capable of converting at ordinary temperatures the higher cellulose nitrates into viscous form and then acting upon it with heated liquid or vapor toindurate it, substantially as set forth.

2. The method of making explosive material which consists in extracting from gun cotton the lower products of nitration, then mixing and incorporating with it a liquid colloidizing agent which is capable of converting at ordinary temperatures the higher cellulose nitrates into viscous form, and then indurating it, substantially as set forth.

3. The method of making explosive material which consists in extracting from gun cotton the lower products of nitration, then mixing and incorporating with it a liquid colcotton the lower products of nitration, then mixing and incorporating with it nitro-benzene, and then indurating it, substantially as set forth.

5. The method of making explosive material which consists in first extracting from gun cotton the lower products of nitration, then mixing and incorporating with it nitro-benacne, and then acting upon it with heated liquid or vapor to indurate it, substantially as set forth.

6. The method of making explosive material which consists in first extracting from guncotton the lower products of nitration, then mixing and incorporating with it a liquid colloidizing agent which. is capable of converting at ordinary temperatures the higher cellulose nit-rates into viscous form, then forming the material into pieces of the desired form, such as grains or strips, and finally indurating the material, forth.

7. The explosive material consisting wholly of cellulose nitrates of the higher orders in a colloidized and indu rated condition, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 12th day of August, 1891.

CHARLES E. MUN ROE. Witnesses:

Win. CROOKE,

G. W. "ATTERSOE substantially as set 

